Second Star from the Left
by livelifeonfire
Summary: Opposites attract but rarely stay together for one reason or another. Bella, the daughter of a rich politician, and Jacob, a mechanic from a small town, try to turn a summer fling into something that lasts.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Thanks to my pre-readers -– wordslinger (I swear you're my life boat), Live True (thanks for being so supportive, bb), and of course, my wonderful husband.**

**Special thanks to my amazingly awesome beta - jkane180! I'd be nowhere without you!**

**Hope you enjoy it! =)**

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><p>It was early June and Jacob Black stood on first beach watching his friends enjoy themselves at a bonfire. He and a few of his friends had just graduated, and all of them saw that as a reason to celebrate.<p>

Everyone Jacob knew was in attendance. This was a big deal, after all.

As Jacob stood by one of his best friends, Quil, he was noticing that a lot of people from the local town, Forks, had shown up as well. This was definitely more than just a few friends.

"When is Claire gonna show up already? Damnit, these women. They take so long just to "put their face on"." Quil threw up some air quotes and rolled his eyes.

"Don't get your panties all in a bunch. I just saw her car pull up a minute ago. Jesus, you are so whipped!" Jacob didn't need to tell Quil that though. Everyone knew how he felt about Claire. When they are together, even in public, they couldn't keep the PDA to a minimum.

Within a couple of minutes, Claire and a girl Jacob had never seen were making their way across the beach. And, of course, Claire was immediately into Quil's anxiously awaiting arms.  
>Her friend didn't run across the beach, so she was still a bit out of site for Jacob. It was just too dark for him to see her clearly.<p>

Before he got a chance at a clear view, Claire announced she was going to go get something to drink. She darted over, grabbed her friends hand, and went immediately to the refreshment table.

"Who's the girl with Claire? I don't think Ive seen her around before." Jacob had a hard time disguising his interest. He had never been much for girlfriends. Sure, he'd had a few, but none were able to keep his attention long.

"That's Isabella Swan. She's here for the summer with her family. Claire's parents are good friends with hers. All I know is, her Dad is a senator. More money then God." Quil was immediately up to go get Claire. Jacob followed. He just _had _to get a good look at her.

Jacob followed closely behind Quil around the side of the bonfire. The girls had been joined by a small group of guys that Jacob was not overly familiar with. They, however, seemed to know Isabella.

The fire-light was lighting up Isabella's smile so perfectly that in Jacob's eyes, she could have easily competed with the moon. He immediately took notice to her beautiful chocolate colored eyes. He could have easily drown in them.

"Claire-bear, I brought you a blanket to sit on." Quil announced and held up the white blanket with a big cheesy smile plastered on his face.

"You are so sweet baby!" Claire squealed and then her face lit up again when she saw Jacob.

"Oh! Hi Jacob! Congrats on your graduation!" She then turned to Isabella.

"This is Jacob Black. Jacob, This is Isabella Swan." Bella reached her slender hand out to shake with Jacobs.

"Jake." He corrected as he shook her hand.

"Bella. It's a pleasure to meet you, Jake."

Jacob was instantly attracted to Bella. He didn't know why, but he just wanted to be around her more. He wanted a guarantee of seeing her again. This brief meeting was not going to be enough for him. He decided immediately that he need to be bold. He needed to be drastic. He need to make an impression. So, instead of being polite, he decided to go a completely different route.

"Would you like to go out with me sometime?" Bella's eyes about bugged out of her skull. Not to mention Quil, Claire, and the other 2 random guys standing there, looked at him like he had completely lost his mind.

Bella was taken a back for a moment before she was even able to answer.

"I'm..I'm sorry?" He could tell Bella was genuinely confused.

"Would you like to go out with me sometime?"

"well..um..no thank you."

"why not?" Jacob was not going to let this go easily. He didn't care what anyone thought.

"I...I guess I just don't want to."Jacob could see the confusion in her face. He didn't want to scare her. He just needed to be sure, absolutely positive that he'd see her again. But as he was about to apologise, one of the guys standing behind Bella interrupted.

"Bella, would you like to go for a walk down by the water?" He glanced over at Jacob with an extremely smug look on his face. Jacob didn't know who this clown was, but he was going to see to it that _he wouldn't_be the one ending up with Bella.

"I'd love to Glenn." Jacob could tell by the tone of her voice, she was only doing it to get to him.

He watched Bella hook her arm through Glenn's(what the hell kind of a name is _Glenn _anyway?) and take off past the bonfire towards the water's edge.

Jacob couldn't help but notice the way her hips swayed as she walked. Which also brought his attention to her ass. The way the moonlight made her pale skin glow, it looked like it was made of porcelain. She was absolutely breathtaking.

He was definitely not letting her go that easily.

As Jacob started to take a step down the beach toward her, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and remembered he was not alone.

Jacob turned around to two faces looking curiously at him. Honestly, Jacob thought there expressions didn't really display curiosity as much as them just thinking he was completely off his rocker.

"Jake, man, what are you doing? Your acting a little weird. She just said no." Quil said, his voice laced with concern. Claire was standing beside him, starting too look a little more amused then concerned.

"I'm fine man. I'm just going to ask her one more time. I swear, its fine."

Jacob took off down the beach before Quil could respond. This wasn't something he could easily explain. It was just something he had to do.

When Jacob reached Bella and Glenn, he quickly leaped in front of them to stop them in their tracks. He reached down and gently as possible grabbed Bella's free hand.

"Go out with me sometime.." This time Jacob said it as more of a plea than a request. Bella opened her mouth to answer, looking a little pissed off now. But before she had the chance to respond Glenn spoke.

"Is this some kind of a joke or something? Or are you just plain stupid? Man, she already said No! I swear-" Bella had taken her hand from Jake and placed it on Glenn's chest, interrupting him in her own lady-like way.

"No Glenn, I can handle this." Then she turned her irritated gaze back to Jacob. "I already said no, Jacob. Is there something wrong with you?" She was letting the anger get the best of her.

"Why? Are you with _this_guy or something?" Jacob threw his thumb in the direction of Glenn.

"Not that it's any of your business, but no. I'm not with Glenn. I just don't want to."

"Okay then. Guess we're doing this the hard way."

"What are you-" But before Bella could even finish her train of thought, Jacob had scooped her up into his arms and started towards the surf. Jacob just barely noticed that they were gaining a small audience.

"Jacob, Jake, no! Put me down!" She was now beating on his chest, which she noticed was very firm and defined, as he was walking into the waves.

Jacob held her out from his body over the water. He had no intention of actually dropping her, he didn't think he actually could. But she didn't need to know that. Her hair and make-up was done almost to perfection, and that little dress she was wearing looked very expensive. He will almost willing to bet that Bella would agree to almost anything to avoid ruining her dress.

"Go out with me." This time he tried to sound a little more stern.

"No! Jacob I said no! No take me back onto the beach and put me the hell down!" Jacob held her out a little bit further. "Don't you dare drop me Jacob! Don't you even dare!"

"Go out with me." Nope, not letting up.

"No!"

"Okay then, I guess I'm going to have to drop you." Jacob was keeping perfectly calm. He did not want her to have even the slightest clue that he wasn't serious. So he held her out a little further and started to loosen his grip.

"No! Don't drop me! Oh my God, Jacob, please don't drop me!" She was starting to panic a little. Jacob knew he had her exactly where he wanted her.

"Come on Jake, just bring the poor girl back in!" Claire yelled from the beach.

"Just go out with him honey, we don't want to see you get all wet!" Quil yelled, and Claire elbowed him in the gut.

"Go out with me." He said in a low voice.

"Okay I'll go out with you! I'll go out with you! Just put me down!" Yep, right where he wanted her.

"Don't do me any favors." He was still remaining completely calm and continued to loosen his grip.

"No! No. I want to. I want to go out with you!" She basically yelped. Jacob pulled her in closer to his chest and walked her back into shore.

When he was completely out of the water, he placed her gently on her feet. Claire came rushing over to her aid, as if he'd hurt her. But he noticed Claire was chuckling lightly.

Bella turned on him and smacked Jacob's chest as hard as she could.

"You are such a jerk! Where do you get off? Who do you think you are?" Bella was fuming. She turned on her heel and stomped off towards the crowd of people by the bonfire. Glenn following close behind. Surprise, surprise.

"That was kind of an asshole thing to do Jake." Claire stated lightly before following after.

"I thought it was genius, personally." Quil slapped Jake on the back and smiled at him, still laughing. "The tricks going to be getting her to _actually_go through with it. Which I doubt she will after that stunt."

Jacob shrugged and headed up the beach. He would figure something out.

He was surprised when he saw Bella didn't immediately leave. He hung around sipping on a beer for about a half hour before he couldn't help but test his luck a little further.

He walked up behind her and noticed that Glenn had disappeared. Jacob hoped for good. He reached up and gently tapped her on her shoulder, giving her the most innocent look he could muster. When she turned around, she glared. He really hoped she would get over that.

"So, how does Saturday at 7 work for you?"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you to my pre-readers- wordslinger, Live True, and my hubby.**

**Also, thank you to my wonderful beta- jkane180**

**Enjoy =]**

Jacob was always a social person, always out with friends, especially Quil and Embry. He never did have much luck with dating though. It wasn't a matter of girls not liking him; hell, they practically flocked his way. He just couldn't find one that could hold his interest.

When he met Bella Swan, he just had to be next to her. He had never felt a pull, an attraction, like that in all his life. Before he'd even spoken to her, he just had a feeling about her.

It had been almost two weeks since Jacob had seen her. After the incident at the beach, she was not at all pleased. Actually, at the time, she was really pissed. When he approached her and asked her the specifics of their "date," she was so mad she actually slapped him.

Bella didn't get angry often or easily. But that night, she was so infuriated by him that she was blinded by her rage. She didn't even have time to think before her hand shot out and hit him. But apologizing was _not _an option. Bella didn't even care that it probably hurt her a whole lot more than it did him.

She'd then turned on her heel and stomped off, dragging Claire along with her. She pushed back the angry tears, refusing to let anyone see him get the best of her, again.

Jacob swore he could actually see steam coming out of her ears as she left First Beach that night. He could not have found her more sexy.

Jacob worked long hours for not much pay at a small auto-repair shop on the reservation. But it was a job, and honestly, he loved what he did. He didn't require much-a roof over his head and food in his stomach; that was all he needed.

Quil worked alongside him at the shop. So naturally, he had barely let up on the subject of Bella with Quil, poor guy. But unfortunately for Jake, there wasn't much to tell.

Quil only knew what Bella and Claire would let him know. The girls would squash the subject of Jacob and the bonfire every time it was brought up. Quil wasn't even able to get much out of Claire when they were alone. She always said, "Sorry, baby. Bella doesn't want to see Jake or even have that night brought up. She's my best friend; I can't." And lately, it had become more simply, "Chicks before dicks," followed by a sympathetic look.

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><p>It was a Wednesday, and he was walking out of the shop, ready to make his way home for the day. He was covered in grease and grime-completely filthy. So it had to be just then that he spotted Bella Swan walking down the street.<p>

Of course, he couldn't just pretend he hadn't seen her. That would take too much will power that Jacob did not have, at least when it came to her. He just hoped that two weeks was enough time for Bella to calm down.

Bella was making her way to her car as he saw her. He started yelling her name just as she opened the door.

"Hey, Bella! Bella!"

She turned to look at him, and when she realized who it was, she sighed heavily. She wasn't angry anymore, but she just didn't want to go through that whole ordeal again. She stopped and turned to him anyway, even letting herself smile a little. She wasn't sure why, but she wanted to.

"Hey, do you remember me?" Jacob knew very well that she did, but asking seemed like an easy way to break the ice.

"How could I not, Jacob Black?" She was being a little sarcastic, but she was still smiling, so Jacob knew she wasn't still mad. Jacob decided to go about this in a nicer way.

"Hey, look, I'm sorry about the other night. And I know you're hesitant to go out with me. Some dirty, greasy guy that asks you out as soon as you meet him. You don't know me. I get that. But I know me, and honestly, I'm a nice guy. No one would tell you otherwise."

"I don't doubt that. I never thought of you as anything else. Even if you were a bit too forward for my taste."

Jacob was relieved to know she wasn't holding anything against him.

"It was nice seeing you again, Jacob. And thank you for apologizing."

Bella turned to get into her car. She knew very well he wasn't going to let her just walk away that easy. After the embarrassment he'd put her through, she decided she was going to let him suffer a bit longer. Pay back's a bitch after all.

"So, Bella..." That stopped her in her tracks. "How about that date? Are you free this weekend? Or how about tonight?"

"No." She got in her car and put her seat belt on. She reached forward, put the key in the ignition, and started the car. Then she put the window down, waiting to see what his next response would be.

"Come on, Bella. Please." Jacob couldn't believe she was holding to this.

"No," she said firmly.

"Is there anything I can do to change your mind? Anything at all?"

Bella listened to him plead with her. She had one hand on the wheel, and she moved the other to her chin to help her think, propping her elbow on the open windowsill. She wanted to see what else this guy who continued to surprise her had up his sleeve. That's when she came up with a great idea. It might have even been a little evil.

"I guess you'll have to figure something out. Won't you, Jacob?" She smiled to herself as she promptly put the car in reverse, moved the vehicle out of her parking spot, and headed home, leaving a shocked Jacob in her wake.

Jacob stood and watched her car until it disappeared from view. Well, now he knew that she was at the very least considering giving him a shot. Now all he needed to do was figure a way to make that happen.

Jacob had no idea where Bella and her family were staying, so he couldn't go to her. He had no choice; Quil and Claire were his only way in. This was not going to be easy.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry for taking so long to get this out. I'm hoping RL will slow down soon. Now would be great.**

**On that note- I hope everyone had a great Mother's day! Mine was fairly relaxing and drama free (and that's an accomplishment with two little girls).**

**A big thank you to my pre-readers, wordslinger and live_true. Love you ladies!**

**Even more thanks to my fabulously amazing (not to mentions sexy ;]) beta, jkane180. Thanks for helping me out with this =]**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy! =]**

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><p>"No. Absolutely not." Quil was looking at Jacob as if he'd grown a second head for even suggesting he help him get a date with Bella.<p>

"Come on, man, you and Claire are my only way in. You owe me, for more than a couple things actually. Just help me out. Please!" Jacob was basically begging. He knew that he had no other way to see her unless he happened to run into her in public, which didn't seem to be the way to get her to go out with him anyway.

"Jake, even if I said yes, there's no way in hell Claire would go for it. She'd probably cut my balls off for even considering it."

"Aww, baby, be serious. I want to have babies someday. I wouldn't cut them off." Obviously Claire had overheard the conversation, rolling her eyes and flipping her hair as she sauntered into the shop. She leaned down to kiss Quil on the cheek before standing and looking quizzically at Jake.

"Still got your boxers in a bunch over Bella, eh, Black?"

Jake could tell by the look in her eyes that she was definitely humored by the situation. What he wasn't sure of was whether or not that was a good thing. He was really hoping she wouldn't think it was necessary to torture him further.

"Come on, Claire. Please! Help a guy out. I just need some way to see her, spend some time with her. She's making it a game. You two are the only way I have any chance in hell at winning. Even with you, the odds aren't good. But hell, a guy can hope, right?"

Claire was a sweet girl and had known Jake for a couple years. He'd always liked her, so hopefully she trusted him and would help him out, even just a little.

Claire appeared to be thinking it over. She covered her face with her hands and rubbed her temples. When she raised her head and looked a Jacob again, she had a small smile on her lips.

"All right, here's the deal. We're all going to a movie tomorrow night. It's just supposed to be me, Bella, and Quil. But Quil is meeting us after work, so if you just so happen to come with him, then so be it. If she asks, I had nothing to do with it. Got it? And for Christ's sake, Jacob, try not to be a complete dumbass. If you fuck this up, chances are you _won't_get another opportunity."

Jake could tell Claire meant business. But despite the warning she'd given him, he was still overwhelmed with excitement. Before she could protest, he closed the distance between them and hugged her, mumbling, "Thank you. Thank you," repeatedly.

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><p>As Jake got into Quil's car, riding with him to go and meet the girls, he suddenly felt very nervous, as if a swarm of butterflies had taken up residence his stomach. He couldn't get past the "what ifs" flying through his head. What if she flipped out when she saw him there? What if she left because he was there? What if she decided to stay but then decided he wasn't worth giving a chance? What if she hated him?<p>

This state of mind was new to Jacob. He couldn't remember ever being nervous to see a girl-not once. He always oozed confidence. And up until this moment, he'd felt very confident about seeing Bella.

When Jake woke up that morning, he laid out a pair of his nicest jeans, a nice, short sleeved white button down, and a pair of white sneakers. He didn't have many clothes that weren't stained in one way or another, but he tried to make sure he did have at least one pair of decent jeans and a couple shirts.

His plan was to leave work a half hour early and come home to shower and change. On his way into work, he stopped at an ATM to get some cash, so he could at least try and pay for her ticket or buy her something to eat or drink. He was really hoping she'd let him do that for her.

Quil pulled the car into the closest parking spot he could find in the busy theater parking lot, and as soon as the car was in park, Jake opened the door to get out. He needed to be up and moving; his nerves had caused him to bounce his leg the entire ride.

"Jake, breathe." Obviously Quil had noticed his friend's nerves kicking into play. Jake stopped for a second to take a deep breath and tried his very best not to start to sweat. He really didn't want to fuck this up.

Bella and Claire were standing, arms linked, as usual, outside of the ticket booth. They had only been waiting about five minutes, knowing the Quil would be there soon.

Bella was people-watching, something she found very entertaining. Over to her left, there was a father whose right pointer finger had been captured by a little blonde girl, his daughter, she assumed. The little girl was pulling as hard as she could on her father's finger, trying to get to the movie as quickly as possible. She could tell the little girl was thrilled to be there just by the bright smile she wore on her face.

To her right, a young couple was holding hands and kissing intimately on a bench by the concession stand. Every few minutes, they'd come up for air, and the boy would whisper sweet nothings in her ear, causing the girl to smile and giggle. Bella quickly turned away from that display, feeling a tiny of jealousy.

Bella didn't get out much. She was much to busy to do trivial things like see a movie, hang out with friends, or even have a boyfriend. She and her parents had a plan in place for her future. There was a lot that needed to be done on her part to keep that plan afloat.

As she was observing the people around her, she saw Quil coming out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head to get a better look and be sure it was him, and it was. But then she noticed he wasn't alone.

Bella quickly seized Claire's arm and turned to her with accusing eyes.

"Claire, what is _he_doing here?" Bella spoke through clenched teeth to try and keep her voice down. She could already feel her heart racing, and he was still halfway across the parking lot.

"I don't know, Bella. But, look, it's not a big deal. Let's just have a nice time." Claire spoke sweetly and calmly to try and make Bella see that things weren't as bad as she thought. Bella saw straight through her.

"You planned this." It wasn't a question.

"No-"

"Don't you dare lie to me, Claire Young. I know you three had this planned. Why would you do that to me?"

"Look, Bella, he just wants a chance to get to know you. He's a nice guy. Just give him a chance. Besides, it's not like I set you up and you have to be alone with the guy. We're all going to be here. No pressure."

She wasn't happy, but she decided Claire was right. This didn't have to be a big deal. She never had to be alone with him, and it wasn't an actual date. If Bella decided she didn't want to see him again after tonight, she wouldn't have to. And despite the fact that she wasnt happy about being set up, she found herself feeling a little excited to see him. No one else needed to know that, though.

Jacob saw the exchange between Claire and Bella, and that did nothing to help him feel more at ease. Bella clearly wasn't happy to see him. For a second, he even considered leaving, but then he remembered that Quil had brought him. He'd have to stick it out. He just hoped things would go more smoothly once they were in the theater.

As soon as they reached the girls, Quil went straight for Claire. He said a quick, "Hey, Bella," before landing a sweet kiss right on his girlfriend's lips.

Jacob stood awkwardly with his hands in his pockets. He did manage a nod in the girls' direction followed by a, "Claire, Bella."

"Funny seeing you here, Jacob." Bella's voice dripped with sarcasm. She was not at all pleased with this stunt Jake and her so-called friends were pulling. She couldn't help but to glare at all three of them.

"Yeah, who'da thunk it? A public movie theater on a Friday night. Who does that?" It slipped from his lips before he had a chance to think. Sarcasm was a second language for him, and he was used to throwing it right back at whoever dealt it. He really needed to learn to think before speaking. Making sarcastic comments was only going to piss Bella off further.

Quil did his best to suppress a chuckle.

"You're totally right, Jacob. This is a public theater. But you and I both know you're just a sneaky little-"

"Alrighty then. Can we actually go and pick the movie now, children?" Claire quickly cut Bella off to prevent the situation from escalating before they even made it inside.

The group made their way over to the ticket booth to look at the selection of movies above. There was a list of about ten different films to choose from, ranging through horror, action, drama, romantic comedies, and of course, a couple of animated kids' films.

"Dude, Jake, did you see the preview for _Day of Death_? It looks bad ass!"

Jake rolled his eyes. Of course his friend would pick the movie with the title written in blood on the poster. Jake wouldn't mind seeing it, but he knew very well the girls wouldn't.

"I am _not_seeing that. You have truly lost your mind if you think we're seeing _that_ sad excuse for a movie. It's all blood, guts, and gore. Forget it, Quil." Claire was trying not to raise her voice, but Jake thought he was starting to see steam coming out of her ears. Jake just stood back to watch the pot boil over. Quil and Claire argued over the most trivial things, but according to Quil, they really enjoyed making up.

"We always see these stupid fucking girly movies! I want to see something _I_ like for once!"

"For once? For once! Quil we _always_see what you want!" As they continued to argue, Jake chanced a glance in Bella's direction. He couldn't help but chuckle at what he saw. She stood a few feet back from the fighting couple with her hands covering her mouth, clearly trying not to laugh at the ridiculousness of what was happening in front of her.

Bella had seen Claire and Quil fight on more than a handful of occasions. The reasons always seemed stupid to her, but they never lasted long, and the two seemed happy enough. But the display the two were putting on that evening was just too much. Arguing over a movie choice, loudly, in public - she couldn't help but laugh.

When she looked over to Jake, he made her want to laugh more. He was standing awkwardly behind them, looking lost. Then she noticed him look up at her and head in her direction. The laughter suddenly died in her throat.

"Can you believe these two?" Jacob pointed at Claire and Quil with his thumb, rolling his eyes.

"They're _always_like this. I'm kind of used to it." Bella tried her best to keep the edge in her voice; she was still upset with him for being so sneaky. She was having trouble staying mad though. There was just something about him... well, that, and she could still hear her friends ridiculous argument. She was pretty sure Quil just said something about "meat lover's pizza."

"Yeah, same here. Just usually not so loudly in public. People are staring." He laughed lightly before continuing.

"So, what do you want to see?"

Bella looked up at Jake, making sure he was serious. She was honestly surprised that he cared.

"Um, I don't really know. I haven't seen a movie in a really long time."

"Well, obviously those two aren't going to pick something. The responsibility falls on our shoulders; otherwise, we'll be standing out here all night. What looks interesting to you?" Jake turned his gaze away from her and onto the billboard with movies.

"Well, I liked her in that princess movie. How about that one?" When Jacob turned back to her, she gave him a sheepish smile, expecting him to refuse.

"Yeah, okay, I think I could deal with two hours of Anne Hathaway."

Bella's jaw dropped; she was shocked that he'd just agreed to a movie that she was sure would be very much a chick flick.

"Hey, you two, if you're finished, we picked a movie. We're going to see the one with Anne Hathaway. Bella's choice." Jake started towards the ticket booth, and Quil quickly jumped in front of him.

"Dude, a chick-flick? You were supposed to be on my side. What happened to 'bros before-'"

Jacob quickly cut him off. He wanted to put an end to the whining as soon as possible.

"Quil, shut up. It's one movie. We'll live. Besides, I heard it was funny. Now buy your damn tickets."

After Quil bought his and Claire's tickets, Bella was next in line. As she started pulling her wallet out of her purse, Jake interrupted.

"Don't worry about it. I've got it." He didn't even chance a glance in her direction, not wanting to give her an opportunity to argue. After he got the tickets, he handed Bella hers, and they headed towards the door with the title of the movie they were seeing above it.

"You didn't have to do that, Jake. This isn't a date." She spoke softly, but he could still hear her.

"I know, but I wanted to. Consider it an apology for acting like an ass at the beach."

As Bella felt the smile grow on her face, she ducked her head to try to hide it from Jacob. As they were walking through the heavy door into the darkness of the theater, she thought to herself, _Maybe this won't be so bad_...


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N- Hey there everybody! I know it's been forever since I've updated, and I'm really sorry for that!**** But now it's done and here it is, so I hope it doesn't disappoint. **

**I'm not going to promise regular updates. But when I get a bug up my butt to write this story, I will. =]**

**Thank you to my wonderful, fabulous, amazing beta- jkane180! She's not only my beta for this but also my pre-reader, and she is fuckawesome! **

**Anyway, on to the story! **

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><p>The group settled on seats at the very top of the theater. They could hear the projector above them as it displayed the trivia questions across the screen. She wasn't sure how it happened, but she ended up sitting next to Jacob. Luckily, Claire was on her other side, so she wasn't stuck just talking to Jake.<p>

As the lights dimmed and the previews started, she pulled her water bottle out of her purse. She didn't want to get caught bringing a drink into the theater, but she certainly wasn't going to buy another one for damn near triple the price.

She opened the bottle and took a drink before sitting it in the cup holder next to Jacob. The one next to Claire had a box of candy sitting it so Bella could share with Claire.

Jacob glanced over to Bella only to notice she was sitting on the furthest edge of the chair away from him. Ridiculous. It wasn't as if he was going to bite; he wouldn't even touch her until he knew she'd be okay with it. There was no need for her to treat him like the plague. Well, at least he knew, loud and clear, how she felt about him. He couldn't believe he'd thought he was making some progress since they'd actually had a decent conversation earlier.

As he watched her looking at the screen, he couldn't help but stare. Her attention was completely captivated. He noticed her mouth was slightly open, which brought his attention to her full pink lips. There was no point in denying it: Jake was all male. And he definitely noticed that Bella was all woman, and she was fucking hot.

Every once in awhile, her lips would turn up into a small smile when something on the screen amused her. He watched her the entire way through the previews, and just as the movie was starting, she glanced in his direction. He was caught, but he looked away, trying to cover up his staring anyway.

She either didn't care that he was looking or she chose to ignore it because she almost immediately turned her attention back to the giant screen. So Jake decided he should probably do the same. He silently scolded himself and chanted in his head 'don't fuck this up; don't fuck this up'.

It was a typical romantic comedy. Girl meets boy. Instant attraction between said boy and girl. Occasional funny thing. Both realize they're in love but don't tell each other. Yada yada yada, boy and girl end up getting married.

Bella could have easily guessed from the very beginning what was going to happen. But some parts were cute, nonetheless.

The woman in the movie was out to dinner with her new boyfriend. The look on her best friend's face was obvious: he loved her and was extremely jealous. She found herself wondering what in the hell was wrong with this woman. Everything between her and her "best friend" screamed love. From the way they talked, touched… everything. Hell, the guy could hardly keep his hands off her.

"Is she that oblivious?" Bella whispered, not to anyone in particular.

"I know, right? He obviously has the hots for her," Jake decided to chime in.

"And she obviously feels the same about him! I mean, look! He just touched her leg, right in front of her boyfriend! See the way they look at each other?"

"I think they're both really fucking stupid," Jake declared. His language caught her by surprise, but she was starting to see that was just how he spoke.

"Yeah, I'm definitely going to have to agree."

They went back to watching the movie, occasionally laughing at something they both thought was stupid.

Jacob glanced over toward Quil and Claire, and just as he thought, they were sucking face. He nudged Bella, and when she looked at him, he nodded his head in their direction. When she turned back, she was blushing and rolling her eyes.

The first thing he thought about was why in the world she would blush. It wasn't like someone caught _her_ making out with someone. But then he thought about how sexy the extra color made her. He hoped he would see much more of that blush.

"I'm telling you what, those two," he threw a thumb over toward Quil and Claire, "never stop. They could care less about people being around."

Bella giggled.

"Yeah, I've noticed. I actually had to leave Claire's house the other day because I was afraid they were going to just do it on the couch while I was sitting there." She scoffed and rolled her eyes again.

"Yeah, I've been there. I'm fairly positive that if they weren't afraid of getting arrested, they'd be fucking right now." They both looked over at the couple in question and noticed Quil had his hand down the back of Claire's pants.

That was all the two could take. Jake and Bella were instantly in a fit of giggles. Other people in the theater were turning around, 'shhh'ing them, and giving them dirty looks, so they did their best to hold it together. But when the male lead walked out and his bare ass nearly covered the screen in his attempt to seduce his 'best friend' and her boyfriend was there instead, that just sent them into another fit.

When even Quil and Claire came up for air to look at them, they silently agreed that they should just leave. They told their friends that they would wait out front for them and made their way out of the theater.

"Well...that was, um, interesting." Bella was still giggling a little when they walked out the theater doors.

"Yeah. Sorry we didn't get to see the whole movie. I know it's been a while since you'd seen one." Despite her laughter, Jake couldn't help but feel like he'd ruined the evening for her.

Bella reached out and touched Jake's arm - the first time she'd touched him willingly since they met.

"It's okay. It was kind of stupid, and it's not like I don't know how it's going to end." She looked up at Jake and smiled. She didn't want him to feel badly. She couldn't believe it, but she was actually having fun.

"So, uh, do you want to get out of here? Go have some fun?" Jake was nervous to ask anything of her, but he was pretty sure standing outside for over an hour wasn't going to be too thrilling.

"Well, sure, I guess. But where?"

"Can I just...surprise you? I promise I'm not taking you to some raunchy strip club or something. I don't want you to think I'm lame. And I think you'll have fun." Jacob gave her his most sincere smile, hoping she'd go along with it. By the look on her face, she wasn't too sure. "Please trust me, Bella."

Bella thought for a minute before deciding to do just that. What was the worst that could happen? "Sure, okay, Jake. Let's go."

They walked down the sidewalk in the dark towards the unknown destination. Bella looked through the windows of the shops and restaurants as they passed. Soon, she noticed glowing neon around big block letters spelling out _**ARCADE. **_She immediately knew that was where he was taking her.

"Oh my God, Jake! Seriously?"

Jacob heard her words, but he couldn't tell if it was excitement or disgust in her voice.

"Uh, yeah. Is this okay?" He looked at her timidly and watched as a smile grew on her neon-lit face.

"Okay? Jake, of course it's okay! I haven't been to one of these since I was little! Come on, let's go!" Bella reached down and excitedly yanked on Jake's hand to pull him inside.

Jake watched Bella closely for the first couple of minutes inside. He couldn't help but grin while watching her act like a small child in a candy shop. She jumped around from game to game, pushing buttons experimentally but never actually playing. Her eyes lit up like fireworks with each new game she came to.

Soon, Bella finally came to a stop in front of a dark purple game with spider webs all over it. Without warning, it began to light up, and a large spider in the middle of the game spoke. "I smell human."

Bella stepped up onto the base of the game, surrounded by spiders with round red buttons as their backs. She glanced over to Jake, who she found was watching intently, as she slid her coins through the slot and pushed the button that read _**hard**_.

"Ready, go!" the spider said as the backs of the spider-buttons began to light up.

Bella began stomping on the lights, trying to keep up the best that she could. Soon it went from one light at a time to two and then to three.

"Come on, Jake! Help! Just stomp on the red light! I can't win by myself!" She smiled at him and moved to the left side while Jake took over the right.

When the game came to an end, the spider announced that they had lost. "Spiders win!"

As Bella stood by the machine, waiting for it to spit out a few tickets, she turned to look at Jake, whose eyes were still on the red buttons.

"I used to love this game. I think it helped me get over my fear of spiders." Bella laughed then continued, "Seriously though, I used to play it over and over. I'm pretty sure the hard level isn't meant to be beat."

"Yeah, that was pretty ridiculous. I mean, four lights at one time! What one person can do that?"

The pair continued through the sea of games, stopping here and there to play one.

By the time the two got toward the back of the building, the conversation had become easy, maybe even a little playful. So much so that Bella almost forgot who she was with. She was actually having fun!

"Oh wow, look at this one!"

Bella noticed a game in the far corner lit up brightly with neon lights. It had two guns in holsters in the front. At the top in very big, very green letter was the name: "Zombie Killer II."

She skipped over to the game in excitement and promptly put a token in the slot. She picked up the gun out of its holster and turned to look at Jake.

"You want to play? There're two guns and it looks like a lot of fun!" She nodded towards the other side of the game board.

"Sure. I'd love to kill some zombies!" Jake smiled and grabbed the other gun only to realize it was out of order. "Don't wrry about it. I'll play next round."

As Bella began playing, she realized that her aim kind of sucked. She'd never actually shot a gun before. Her mother and father would never allow that.

Sure, she'd seen it done a million times. Her daddy was a bit of a sportsman after all. But everything she'd ever seen shot had always been made of clay. And even out in the wide open field behind their home, she wasn't allowed to touch her daddy's shotguns.

Jacob noticed how much trouble Bella was having. He didn't want to cross any lines with her, but at the same time, he wanted to help.

He walked up behind her and grabbed her hand in his.

"You should use both hands. It'll help to keep it steady. Better aim that way." He reached down to pull her other hand up and onto the base of the gun.

With his arms aligned with hers, he re-adjusted her finger placement and then stretched her arms out in front of her. "Like this..."

He again placed his hands over hers and pressed her finger down on the trigger.

Bella jumped a little when she heard the **BANG** come from the speakers, but she smiled to herself when she watched a zombie's head splatter into a million pieces.

"Wow! Thank you, Jacob!" Bella turned her head to the side, so she could see his face and smile at him.

That's when he noticed that beautiful blush again. He was pretty sure he'd never get enough of that.

"Anytime." He smiled back. "Looks like your time is up. Do you want to play again?"

"Yes! That was so much fun! But will you help me again? Until I get it?" She took Jake by surprise asking that question, but he didn't hesitate to help.

Having his arms around her felt so right.

The pair played the game once more before Bella looked up at a clock on the wall and realized what time it was.

"We'd better head back to the theater. I bet the movie's out, and we don't want them to worry about us."

"Yeah, you're probably right. We don't want Claire to think I kidnapped you or something."

The walk back seemed much shorter to Bella then it had on their way to the arcade. She'd definitely had fun with Jake.

When they reached the theater, Claire and Quil were standing outside waiting on them.

They said their goodbyes and headed to the cars they'd come in.

Once seated in Claire's car, Bella looked over at her friend. She could tell by the look on her face that she wasn't going to let Bella get away without spilling details.

Bella rolled her eyes as she submitted to Claire's barrage of questions.


End file.
